General Question

marmoset's avatar

Do most people who speak Afrikaans also speak English well?

Asked by marmoset (1311points) May 3rd, 2012 from iPhone

(I mean, well enough that they wouldn’t care about a translation of English materials into Afrikaans? Or would a translation generally be desired/appreciated?)

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7 Answers

JLeslie's avatar

Charleze Theron had to learned to speak English fluently in her teens I think? She moved to Johanessburg for school if I remember correctly. Most South Africans I know grew up speaking English though, but I think certain parts of the country use Afrikaans as their primary language and might not be fluent in English.

There are a few Jellies who lived or live in South Africa, so hopefully they see the Q.

Nullo's avatar

All of the Afrikaaners that I’ve met speak English fluently, but then, I met them in the United States, so there’s a filter.

SpatzieLover's avatar

According to a family member that went to SA on business, all of the locals he met/came in contact with were bilingual.

Rarebear's avatar

No. I know several where English is a second language

thorninmud's avatar

According to this, about 50% of Afrikaans speakers understand English. Your question asks about speaking English well, which is a higher standard that understanding, so I would conclude that most Afrikaans speakers do not speak English well.

Skaggfacemutt's avatar

I lived in S. Africa in the 70’s, and there were lots of Afrikaans-speaking people in the more rural areas whose English was pretty rough. Either way, Afrikaans-speaking people have pride in their culture, and would always appreciate a translation in their own language, even if they could make it out in English.

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